Fin Count: Global Shark Census Will Aid Conservation

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Researchers from across the globe recently teamed up to
accomplish what might seem like an impossible (and scary) task:
counting as many of the ocean's sharks as possible.

The giant shark census, dubbed the Global FinPrint, is expected
to last three years and involves surveying more than 400 reef
locations around the world. Researchers will use underwater
cameras on the ocean floor to capture images of sharks and other
animals as they pass by, and the scientists are calling on
boaters, sailors and other ocean lovers to help get this
equipment into position, according to the Global
FinPrint website.

While those involved with the project don't expect to count every
shark in the ocean, they do hope to get a better sense of shark
numbers in certain areas of the world where statistics about
these animals are scarce, according to FIU.

Specifically, scientists are counting as many sharks as possible
in the Indo-Pacific Ocean (which includes parts of the Indian and
Pacific Oceans), the tropical western Atlantic Ocean (from
Bermuda on south to Brazil), and the southern and eastern Africa
and Indian Ocean islands.

These areas have significant data gaps about shark populations,
FIU said. With more reliable numbers in hand, scientists will
have a better idea of how to organize conversation efforts for
the animals, Dune Ives, senior director of philanthropy at Vulcan
Inc. (one of the organizations behind this massive oceanic
census), said in a statement.

The cameras that researchers use to
capture sharks on video are known as "baited remote
underwater video cameras," or BRUVs. Each camera has a small,
fish-laden trap attached to its front end that encourages passing
sharks to come in for a close-up. These up-close-and-personal
shots will be used alongside thousands of hours of existing
underwater video footage to create a single dataset, the
first-ever global shark census, according to FIU.

The same footage can also inform scientists about the
health of other animal populations, such as rays and coral,
the researchers said. The goal is to better understand what the
leader of the Global FinPrint project, Demian Chapman of Stony
Brook University in New York, called "one of the ocean's great
mysteries."

"What is happening with fragile marine ecosystems when sharks are
removed?” Chapman said in a statement. "Are coral reefs healthier
or faster to recover from disturbances like coral bleaching or
hurricanes because they have sharks? These are hugely important
questions. Many countries rely on healthy coral reefs for food
security, tourism and coastal protection."

Data collected by Global FinPrint cameras will be available on an
open-access database created by Vulcan Inc., the company founded
by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Researchers also hope to
gather information about the density of different marine species,
the diversity of species in different areas and the structure of
habitats in different ocean regions, FIU said.

Results from the shark census will be available in 2018 and will
be accessible to scientists, policy makers and other groups
responsible for making decisions about conservation policies, the
researchers said.